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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cell — a phone
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. tube — the underground
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. press — to push
  16. cell — in biology
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. degree — from a university
  20. press — newspapers
  21. degree — temperature
  22. land — a country
  23. tube — a container
  24. leaves — lets stay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com